Monday, July 20, 2015

It's been a while, I know. So, we're gonna do a big wrap with a continuation of last summer's installment on Style Interplay: Taylerland!

As seen above. A small litter of kittens was born in my families backyard this summer. They are adorable. I cannot resist. So when my new place that gets way too hot in the 95+ degree weather in Portland, I take a little vacation at my family's house across the city, sleep in the air conditioning and play with kittens. It's great.

Sunsets across the bluff. I appreciate being a part of a great group of creative women in Portland. There are always new people to meet, learn about and learn from.

I hadn't been the the St. Johns Jazz Festival in quite a few years, so I was excited to have a day over the weekend to stop by with the family. We parked on the grass with our big blankets, ice water and cooler and just listened. And if you didn't already know, this is one of my favorite spots in Portland, seen here, here and here on my blog.

When your bestie has a pool... And you want to pretend to be a fairy in your new summer dress.

I got new ink! Another one by Talley Matthew. I got Lily of the Valley on the inside of my arm. Love it. Now my rose has a neighbor friend in the garden, not an only child anymore.

New swimsuit! I'll be honest, I was wearing the same bikini separates for... maybe 5 years. This may sound gross, but in Oregon swimsuit season is short and some years never even happens. But, it was time. That poor navy polka dot bikini was no longer wearable. So, I shopped these high waist floral bottoms at Asos and this green top at H&M. Might be my favorite swimsuit of all time.

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Creative Start - This is probably my favorite, which is why it's at the top of my list. Hosted by Courtnee Lauren Brown, it's a series of interviews with creative entrepreneurs— getting into the knitty gritty of how they got their creative start. This is my favorite because she interviews a variety of people in different industries who all have very different ways they got to the place they are now. The episodes run anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour and were perfect for me on my commute to work. What I didn't know until I went to write this post, is that they also have a beautiful blog and website!

Being Boss - I think I heard of these ladies directly from one of the Creative Start episodes. They're two friends with different company's who just re-hash what it's like to run their own business. They interview each other and like minded business women in a way that's more unstructured, and they don't hold back. They are up front and honest about the problems they face and how they found solutions to them. It's real, honest and both their voices are so charming. The Accidental Creative - Short motivational episodes by, Tod Henry, a guy who is very obviously super into what he does. These are short, 5 - 25 minute episodes including interviews and quickfire tips and tricks on anything from running your business to just getting through the day. One of my favorite episodes so far is Following The Muse. Think, Make Sell. - Also a great one. More of a no - fuss, direct interview style podcast that tends to focus more on web developers, web experts, writers who write about websites... you get the gist. A straightforward look at developers who have started working for themselves outside of an agency or big tech company. If you are looking to get into a tech start up, this one is for you.After the Jump - This was the very first podcast I ever listened to! And it's a great one. It's by Grace Bonney, the gal behind Design Sponge (which is how I found it), and she interviews creatives, entrepreneurs, branding experts, store owners and everyone in between. Along the same lines as Creative Start, these people talk about how they started their own business, and what day to day life really looks like.If you have favorite podcasts that follow the same creative entrepreneurial theme, please send them my way!

Sunday, May 10, 2015

You heard it. I'm moving! A little surprised I haven't been talking about this more on the blog since it's consumed a lot of my free time and mental space, but I finally found a little spot in an amazing location and it's done and done! Well, almost. I have the keys and have repainted the place, now I just gotta get my things in there! I'm moving into my own tiny studio and I couldn't be more excited. Yes, some of my days have been riddled with anxiety about the whole thing, but it's what I've been wanting for too long not to just forge ahead with the commitment.

For now, some very healthy inspiration for mine, and hopefully your interior decor loving soul. I tried my damnedest to find the original sources of these images with no avail. So I'll direct you to my tumblr where most of these are saved up!